Welcome to my review of the Wileyfox Swift 2+. This is the new budget flagship phone from Wileyfox. My thanks to Clove Technology for a swift delivery of the phone.

So does it cut the mustard in a world of increased competition?

First lets take a look at the key specifications.

Key Specifications/Features

– Cyanogen OS 13 – added customisation options and new lockscreen Mod support
– Based on Android 6.0 with full access to Google Play store
– 5″ HD 720p Screen, 32GB storage, 3GB RAM, micro SD, 16MP rear camera, 8MP selfie camera, 2,700 mAh battery
– Swift 2+ (Plus) redesign has metallic finish, PDAF assisted camera, USB Type-C, NFC for Android Pay and a fingerprint sensor
– Simple UI customisation with the Theme chooser. Modifying application icons & boot animations!
– Improve lock screen functionality with Mods
– AudioFX delivers 24bit High Res Lossless audio with equalizer presets
– Caller ID & Truecaller Dialler identify & block spam calls
– Cyanogen email & calendar powered by Boxer for integrating multiple accounts
– Cyanogen web browser has enhanced security
– Privacy guard provides fine permission control for apps
– PIN Scramble improves lockscreen security
– Snapdragon 430, Adreno 505 GPU

The Basics

The Wileyfox Swift 2+ is a unibody design. It feels far more premium that Wilefox’s original phones. However, it loses the removable back cover and the ability to swap the battery and have 2 SIM cards and a micro SD card. Now, you are left with a hybrid sim design, meaning you have to decide whether you want the second sim for a SIM card or a micro SD card. The upside is a decent 32gb amount of storage with 3gb of ram.

The Swift 2+ uses a Snapdragon 430 with an adreno 505 GPU. In general day to day tasks, the phone is fairly fluid/fast. However, start trying to play a graphic intensive game, and frame rates drop. Standby time and battery life are good. 3.5 hours was my average for screen on time. Standby time was really really good.

The 720p screen on the 5 inch screen works fine. Viewing angles are reasonable too.

Wileyfox are using Cyanogen OS based on android 6.0 which throws in a lot of customisation and useful tweaks. In light of the news regarding Cyanogen dissolving as a company, I would be keen to see what plans Wileyfox decide to instigate. I will update this review when I get the respective detail.

I was pleased to see a fingerprint sensor on the back along with NFC. The fingerprint sensor was not the fastest in the business, but it was fairy quick. Android pay app is installed as standard.

Camera and Audio

Above is a sample shot from the camera. The Swift 2+ has a 16mp rear and 8mp front camera. These are a leap forward from its predecessor. Photos in anything but decent sunshine start to look washed out and low light was just average. In good light, photos were good. For sharing on social media, the front and back cameras are fine. To see the camera app in more detail, refer to the video below.

The phone loudspeaker goes loud to around 83db. It does sound a bit metallic. The AudioFX eq system helps improve matters but the output via the headphone jack is adequate. Mids are a bit recessed. Bluetooth audio is average. A FM Radio is also provided on the phone.

Video Review

There are many other aspects of this phone, covered off in the video section, so enjoy.

Conclusion

The Wileyfox Swift 2+ faces more competition as it is priced around the £150-190 depending on colour and if a promotion is live.  At this higher price there are other options available. However, it is a competent performer with decent battery life and with the Cyanogen skin is fairly fluid in operation.

Useful Links

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